Hit Mast General to help conservation

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will get a boost on Saturday, June 1, when Mast General Store locations in Waynesville and Asheville donate a percentage of the day’s sales to the organization.

In turn, that money will go to support the organization’s land and water conservation work in Western North Carolina.

At Mast in Waynesville, the conservancy’s volunteers will be on-site to greet visitors and provide information about the group’s work. The land trust has preserved tracts at areas such as Mt. Mitchell State Park, Cold Mountain in the Shining Rock Wilderness, Snowball Mountain near the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Highlands of Roan, famous for rhododendron gardens and high grassy balds.

Recently, the group purchased a 601-acre tract less than a mile from the Appalachian Trail that was at one time under contract for development.